Philippines: boxer Manny Pacquiao presidential candidate of 2022
Filipino Manny Pacquiao (here January 24, 2019 in Manila) is running as a candidate for a dissident faction in President Duterte's party.
Ted ALJIBE AFP / Archivos
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
Ending months of speculation, boxer Manny Pacquiao announced his candidacy for the 2022 presidential election in the Philippines on Sunday, September 19.
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At 42, the multiple world champion Manny Pacquiao is preparing for a new challenge: the presidency of the Philippines.
“
The time has come,
” he said, less than a month after his last professional fight which ended in a loss in Las Vegas to Cuban Yordenis Ugas.
While until recently a prominent supporter of President Rodrigo Duterte and his controversial war on drugs, “Pac Man” is running as a dissident faction's candidate for the presidential party.
As a child, Manny Pacquiao lived on the streets before entering professional boxing in January 1995 for a purse of 1,000 pesos (19 euros).
The only boxer to have been world champion in eight different weight classes, he ended up amassing a fortune estimated at over $ 500 million.
Born in extreme poverty
Manny Pacquiao entered politics in 2010, when he was elected MP, before becoming a senator in 2016. He has sometimes sparked controversy with his statements in favor of the death penalty or hostile to homosexuality.
But he is deeply popular in the archipelago, where his generosity and his path to success when he was born into extreme poverty are deeply admired.
“
To all those who ask me what my skills and abilities are, have you ever suffered from hunger?
“, He declared Sunday in front of his supporters.
"
Do you know what it's like to have nothing to eat, to have to borrow money from your neighbors, or to wait to collect leftovers from a restaurant?"
The Manny Pacquiao in front of you was shaped by poverty
”.
The candidate has already promised to spare no effort, starting by sending "
hundreds or thousands
" of crooked politicians to a "
mega prison
" built for this purpose.
A victory not won
Despite his star status, victory is not a given for the former boxer.
Even if the current president cannot stand for re-election, the Constitution only authorizing him to one term, other candidates could come ahead of Manny Pacquiao, if they decide to run by the date- October 8 limit.
Foremost among them is Rodrigo Duterte's own daughter, Sara Duterte-Carpio, who belongs to a party other than her father's.
The current mayor of Davao City, one of the largest cities in the Philippines, if she decides to run for the top job, would come out on top, according to the polls.
Rodrigo Duterte has declared himself a candidate for the country's vice-presidency in order to continue his "crusade" against drugs and the rebels, which prosecutors at the International Criminal Court want to investigate for the alleged unlawful murder of tens of thousands of people.
In the Philippines, the president and vice-president are elected separately.
(
With
AFP)
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Rodrigo Duterte
Philippines